Film greats Greg Kinnear and Kelly Preston play the kindly parents of Miley Cyrus in The Last Song, now hitting DVD and Blu-ray.

How would you describe your new movie, The Last Song?

GREG KINNEAR: The Last Song is about a broken family who are partially resurrected over a summer. I play the role of Steve, the father of the family. He has separated from his wife and he wants to reunite with his kids to get to know them again. However, there are a lot of things that are unknown to the children and the audience at the start of this movie – and these are revealed over the course of the summer.
KELLY PRESTON: Essentially, the story is about two kids who spend a summer with their dad at a southern beach town. There are a variety of themes running through the movie, so it’s also about falling in love, mending broken hearts and mending broken relationships.

Can you tell us a little more about your characters?

GREG KINNEAR: Steve is a talented concert pianist from New York. He had a real shock and his life didn’t pan out the way he hoped, so he finds himself in a sleepy beach town. He wants to reconnect with his two children, Ronnie and Jonah – played by Miley Cyrus and Bobby Coleman – before it’s too late.
KELLY PRESTON: I play Kim, who is the mother of the family. She is divorced from Steve and she’s about to get remarried in New York. She loves her kids to death and she’s a supportive, great mom. She is trying to get her daughter to open up and be herself with her dad. Ronnie is a beautiful pianist and singer, but she’s stopped playing and Kim wants her to learn the beauty of music again.

Why did the parents divorce?

GREG KINNEAR: The parents have split up for reasons we don’t explore in the movie, but it seems like no one is necessarily at fault. However, as always, the kids have taken the hit and the oldest daughter is at that vulnerable stage where anger and hostility can be a real outlet. She’s mad as hell and she’s not going to take it anymore.

What is the dynamic of the relationship between your two characters?

GREG KINNEAR: It is important to establish the fact that the characters that Kelly and I play had a great relationship in the beginning. I think there were problems on both side of the relationship and that is what caused this rift. Things like that happen in life and it’s OK – but there were no villains in the relationship.
KELLY PRESTON: I think there was a lot of animosity and distrust between Steve and Kim, but underneath that there is a great deal of love. You can sense that because there is a wonderful friendship there. Kim has made some choices in her life and she’s screwed things up – but she tries to make amends by taking her kids to heal and connect with their father.

What attracted you to the movie?

GREG KINNEAR: I read the script and I was really touched by it. That’s what attracted me initially. The movie is based on a new novel written by Nicholas Sparks and he has an incredible sensitivity towards families and relationships within families. He has isolated an interesting story between two people who have very little chance of connecting at the beginning of the movie. On some levels they do connect, but not everything is tied up into a perfect world at the end, which is another thing that is nice about the story. Not everything is tied up in a perfect bow, which is a lot like real life.
KELLY PRESTON: I’ve always loved Nicholas Sparks. I think he’s able to explore the human condition and relationships and dynamics really well, which was a big attraction for me. Why did I sign up for the movie? The answer to that question is simple: Miley called me and asked. How could I refuse?

What was it like to work with Miley Cyrus?

KELLY PRESTON: I adore Miley. I’ve known her for a few years now and she’s smart, funny and talented. Plus, she’s a great actress, too. She’s got great depth and when she asked me to play her mom, I couldn’t say no.
GREG KINNEAR: I hadn’t met Miley before working on this movie. She has a large body of work and quite a few fans who would cram into the location where we shot the movie. It was wonderful to watch her work in front of the cameras. This role asks a lot of her because it’s full of complex emotions. It wasn’t an easy job, but she did really well.

Did Miley’s fans ever disrupt the production of the movie?

GREG KINNEAR: To be honest, the fans were incredible. I didn’t realize how popular Miley was until I witnessed the hordes of fans screaming her name. She took the job really seriously and she had some good help in the form of our director, Julie Anne Robinson. I’m deeply impressed with Miley.

What was it like to have Miley Cyrus as a daughter?

KELLY PRESTON: It’s funny you ask this because I feel like her second mother. Even off set, I looked after her and made sure she took her vitamins. Miley comes from a wonderful family. They are incredibly down to earth and they are amazing people. It’s an honor to play her mother.
GREG KINNEAR: Miley was a great daughter. I’ve not had a lot of daughters on the big screen. I’ve got a lot of daughters in real life, but not so many in movies. However, Miley did really well. I’m extremely protective of her and I had my eye on Liam very closely when we were shooting the movie. He was a true gentleman, though. I think he’s a great guy, too.

How would you describe Miley?

GREG KINNEAR: Miley has a great heart and she’s a true professional. I admire that. She takes it seriously, but at the same time, she keeps the environment charged with a lot of fun and a lot of energy. She’s an incredibly impressive teenager.
KELLY PRESTON: Miley is incredibly smart and she’s got a great head on her shoulders. She’s grown up in front of our eyes, but she’s a young woman now

The Last Song Blu-Ray Combo Pack and DVD is out August 4